Incinerator hopper door



INC INERATOR HOPPER DOOR Filed March 1o, 1954 sheets-shet 1 Dec. l, 1936. Y H. E.`N|co1. l A2,062,793

INGINERATOR HOPPER Doon Filed March 1o, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 2 H /V/coL wweg/ Patented Dec. 1, 1936 INCNERATOR HOPPER DOOR Herbert Erskine Nicol, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Kerner Incinerator Company, Milwaukee,

Wis.

Application March 10,

6 Claims.

This invention appertains to incinerators and more particularly to an improved door construction especially designed for use in conjunction with the iiues or chutes of incinerators, but which is susceptible for other purposes.

One of the primary objects of my invention is the provision of novel means for constructing the doors and frames of incinerator or like chutes, whereby when the closure is swung to its closed position, the noise incident to such closing will be deadened and reduced to a minimum.

Another salient object of my invention is the provision of resilient strips disposed between the pivoted closure and its frame, in such a manner that said resilient strips will engage the door in a novel manner for bringing the door to a state of rest at the end of its closing movement without shock and without noise usually accompanying the closing of incinerator or other metal doors.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of spring means tending to resist the opening movement of the door or closure after the door or closure has been swung open a predetermined distance, said spring means acting to lessen the shock 'of opening the door and to initially return the door to its closed position upon the release of said door by the operator.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an improved closure for the chutes of incinerators, the closure carrying a discharge hopper for receiving the garbage or other waste matter, a novel spring connection being provided between the chute and the supporting casing,V said spring acting to initially close the door upon release of said door by the operator, the spring being rendered inoperative after the door has reached a predetermined closed position, the door being thereafter moved to its fully closed position by the Weight of said hopper.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a closure of the above character, which will be durable and efcient in use, one that Will be simple and easy to manufacture and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a Vertical central section through a door frame constructed in accordance with my 1934, Serial No. 715,022

invention, the door being shown in its fully opened position.

Figure 2 is a similar View showing the door'in its fully closed position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail Viewy illustrating the novel means employed for bringing the door or closure to a state of rest without undue accompanying noises, the door being shown practically in its closed position. l l

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section showing the door in its open position, the hopper being shown removed to illustrate the closure hinge construction.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail fragmentary vertical section illustrating the hinge, the door being shown in its open position.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate the corresponding parts lthroughout the several views, the letter A generally indicates my improveddcor construction, which comprises a casing or supporting frame lil. This casing can be made from cast iron.

The casing or supporting frame Hl is adapted to t within an opening formed in the flue or duct of the incinerator an-d the same embodies a front plate Il having the enlarged opening. The front plate Il carries the side walls l2 and the top wall I3. The front wall Il and the side walls I2 can be connected at their` lower edges by reinforcing web l4. The top wall vI3 andthe side walls I2 can be connected by a rear casting or plate l5, which also acts as a stop for limiting the opening of the door proper, as will be later set' forth.

Connected to the front plate Il by the use of suitable bolts or likevfastening elements IB is a door frame l1, which surrounds the enlarged opening formed in said front plate. The door frame can be somewhat of an ornamental character,` if preferred, in order to enhance the appearance of the device. Connected to vthe lower end of the door frame is a transversely extending door supporting plate i8 and this plate can be held in position on said door frame by the use of certain of the-bolts I6.

The upper edge of the door supporting plate I8 is provided with a rounded bearing surface I Sand a vertically disposed stop rib 20. vThe ends of the stop vrib 20 terminate short of the opposite sides of said door supporting plate I8 for reception of the pivot bearing earsZI formed on the swinging door proper 22. The door pro-per 22 has formed on the inner face thereof fastening ears 23 to which are connected the side v Walls 24 of the discharge hopper 25. The discharge hopper 25 also includes an inclined bottom wall 26 which is connected with said side walls and the inner edge of said bottom wall fits under a transversely extending rearwardly and downwardly inclined rib 21 formed on said door 22 adjacent to the lower end thereof. When the door is swung to its completely opened position, the outer end of the bottom wall 26 abuts against the connecting plate l and thereby prevents further opening movement of said door. The hopper is then so disposed as to receive the dbris, which is to be deposited within the 4incinerator.

The inner face of the door adjacent to its marginal edge is provided with a relatively deep channel 28, which defines an inner abutment wall 29. This abutment wall extends along the top and the sides of the inner face ofthe door and is spaced from the marginal edge of said door. The abutment or stop wall 29 has its face bevelled or inclined inwardly, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, for a purpose which will be more fully set forth.

The door 22 can carry any preferred type of handle 36 for facilitating the opening thereof.

Referring more particularly to the door frame l1, it is to be noted that its outer face is provided With a. rib 3|, which rib is adapted to be partially received within the channel 28, when the door is in its extreme closed position.

As heretofore stated, one of the salient objects of my invention is the provision of novel means for reducing the noise incident to the closing of the door 22 and thus, the door frame I1 .carries novel means for gradually bringing the door to a state of rest'and for eliminating shock during the closing of said door. This means for bringing the door vto a state of rest without shock and noise embodies resilient side strips 32 and a top strip 33. All of these strips are of the same construction and each is of a substantially U-shape in cross section and thus includes inner and outer legs 34 and 35 and a connecting bight portion 36. The inner face of the frame i1 at its side and top edges is provided with a rabbet 31 and the inner legs 34 of the strips 32 and 33 t against the inner wall of the rabbet and are held in place by clamping plates 38. The plates 38 are held in place by means of screws 39. The connecting bight portion 36 of each strip is normally spaced from the inneredge of the marginal rib 3l and this inner edge is formed on a bevel as indicated by the reference character 40. The inclination of this edge conforms tothe inclination of the inner wall 29 of the channel 28 of said door 22. The outer resilient leg of each of the resilient strips 32 and 33 partially overlies the outer face of the rib 3l` and is thus vin the path ofthe lclosing movement of the door.

From the description soI far, it can be seen that when the `door is swung to a closed position, the inclined wall 29 of the channel 28 will engage the bight portions 36 of the resilient strips 32 and 33 and gradually press these strips inwardly against the inherent resiliency of said strips. This resilient action absorbs shock andgradually brings the door to a state of rest- Without undue accompanying noise.

As brought outin the objects of the invention, one of the important features of the device is the provision of the novel means employed for automatically` closing the door and for resisting the opening movement of the door. This means comprises an elongated leaf spring 42. The leaf spring 42 has its inner end rigidly secured tol the rear wall 26 of the discharge hopper by the means of suitable fastening elements, such as bolts 43. The spring can be braced and the tension thereof increased by the use of an additional short leaf 44, which is placed in abutting engagement with the inner end ofthe main leaf spring 42. This short leaf 44 is held in place by the bolts 43. Normally, when the spring is not in play, the same lies flat against said rear wall 26, as is clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The outer end of the spring is provided with an opening 45 which receives an eye 46 carried by a chain 41. The other end of the .chain is anchored to the bottom wall I4 of the frame by means of an eye bolt 48.

By referring again to Figure 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that considerable slack is left in the chain 41, when the door is in its closed position. Consequently, upon initial opening movement of the door, the slack in the chain is taken up, and the spring is not brought into play until the door moves to a certain point at which time the spring 42 is flexed and consequently, further opening movement of the door is resisted by said spring. As soon as the door is Vreleased by the operator, the spring 42 being under tension will start to move the door to its closed position. When the door has reached, say a two-thirds closed position, the tension of the spring has entirely ceased, but the doo-r continues to move to itsclosed position by the force of gravity acting upon the discharge hopper 25. Thus, the force of the spring acting to close the door is greatest when the door is fully opened and gradually diminishes to zero as the door closes to approximately a two-thirds closed position, from which position the weight of the hopper is suflicient to make the door self-closing, as stated above.

The vleaf spring with the chainv connections supplies this varying force in the proportions required, namely, exerting the greatest force when the door is opened, and a gradually diminishing force until the door is two-thirds closed, when the spring becomes inactive.

Again referring to the door frame, it is to be noted that the design of this door is such that should the closing noise not be objectionable the entire door frame I1, together with its resilient cushioning strips 32 and 33, and their holding plates 38, can be eliminated without changing the action of the door or its closing spring, and without changing the installation of the casing I0.

From theforegoing description it can be seen that I have provided an exceptionally simple and durable means for bringing about the effective closing of the hopper door and for bringing the door to a state of rest without shock and undue accompanying noises.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:-

1. In a closure, a frame support having an opening, a door rockably mounted on said frame support for closing said opening, a leaf spring carried by said door, a loose connection between the leaf spring and the frame support, said leaf spring being normally inactive when the door is in its closed position and active when the door is in its fully opened position, the tension of said leaf spring gradually decreasing to zero, when the door reaches approximately a two-thirds closed position, and cushioning means interposed between the door and frame support for gradually bringing the door to a state of rest, as the sam'e reaches its closed position.

2. In a closure, a frame support having an opening, a door rockably mounted on a horizontal pivot for closing said opening, a discharge hop'- per carried by said door and movable through said opening, a leaf spring rigidly connected at one end to the inner wall of said discharge hopper, a loose connection between the outer endof said leaf spring and the frame support, the leaf spring being normally inactive when the door` is in its closed position and normally active when the door is in its fully opened position, the tension of said leaf spring gradually decreasing to zero from said doors fully opened position to approximately a two-thirds position, the weight of said discharge hopper thereafter acting to move the door to its fully closed position.

3. In a closure for incinerators, a frame support having an opening, a door frame connected with said support and surrounding the opening, a door plate secured to the lower end of the door frame and extending transversely across the same, a swinging door rockably mounted upon the door plate for closing said opening, a discharge hopper secured to the door and movable through said opening, a portion of said hopper engaging the frame support when the door is in its fully opened position to limit further outward swinging movement thereof, a leaf spring rigidly connected at its inner end to the inner wall of said hopper, the leaf spring norm'ally lying ilat against the wall of said hopper when the door is in its closed position, a loose connection between the outer end of said leaf spring and the frame support, the leaf spring being gradually placed under tension when the door is moved to its opened position, the tension. of said leaf spring decreasing to zero prior to the moving of said door to its fully closed position, the weight of said hopper tending to move the door to its fully closed position and to hold said door in said fully closed position.

4. In a closure for incinerators, a frame support having' opening', a door frame carried by the frame support surrounding said opening, a

swinging door for said frame, resilient cushioning strips carried by the sides and top of said frame and interposed in the path of the door, whereby to bring said door to a state of rest without shock, each of said resilient strips being of a substantially U-shape in cross section and engaging about the inner edges of the door frame and normally spaced therefrom, the door being provided with bevelled faces for gradually engaging said resilient strips as the door is moved toits closed position.

5. In a closure for incinerators, a frame support having an opening, a door frame secured to the frame support and surrounding said opening, a transversely extending door plate secured to the lower end of the door frame, a swinging door rockably mounted upon the door plate, means normally tending to move the door to a` closed position, resilient cushioning strips carried by the sides and top of thedoor frame, each of said strips being of a substantially U-shape in cross section, for surrounding the inner edges of the door frame, said strips being normally spaced from the door frame, the inner face of said door being provided with a marginal channel, and the outer face of said frame being provided with a rib for reception in said channel, the innerI wall of the channel being bevelled for gradually engaging the resilient strip, as the door is moved to it closed position.

6. In a closure, a frame support having an opening, a door rockably mounted on said frame support for closing said opening, a leaf spring carried by the inner face of said door, a loose connection between the spring and frame support, said spring being normally inactive when the door is in its closed position, and active when the door is in its fully opened position, the tension of said spring gradually decreasing to zero when the door reaches approximately a two-thirds closed position.

HERBERT ERSKINE NICOL. 

